Microsoft To Shut Down The Microsoft Tag Service In Two Years, Licenses Technology To Scanbuy

Microsoft today announced that Microsoft Tag service will terminate in two years, on August 19, 2015 and licensing it technology to Scanbuy.

Read more about it below.

Scanbuy, Inc., the leading mobile engagement solutions provider, has been chosen by Microsoft as a licensee of the software giant’s mobile barcode technology, Microsoft Tag.

Microsoft also announced that it will shut down the Microsoft Tag Service in two years, on Aug. 19, 2015. For current Microsoft Tag customers, for the next two years the Microsoft Tag Service will continue running as it has been. All Microsoft Tags in the market will continue to work, new codes can be generated, and scan reports will be available as usual through the Microsoft Tag Service until Aug. 19, 2015. Scanbuy plans to support Microsoft Tag Technology on the ScanLife platform beginning no later than Sept. 18, 2013, and to offer transition and migration services to Microsoft Tag customers who choose to migrate to the ScanLife platform. This transition path will help current Microsoft Tag customers to continue running campaigns using Microsoft Tags on the ScanLife platform.

Current Microsoft Tag customers or new companies interested in services using Microsoft Tag technology will be able to create and scan Microsoft Tags using Scanbuy’s ScanLife service and mobile application, as well as benefit from a number of advanced ScanLife services:

Some of the innovations available include access to mobile experiences that change based on context, easy creation of mobile landing pages, advanced insights on activity, and more.

New campaigns will have access to multiple mobile triggers including Microsoft Tags, QR Codes, Datamatrix, or EZCode formats. NFC tags, short URLs and other mobile triggers can be created on the ScanLife platform. This will give an unprecedented cross-platform and cross-media view on campaign analytics and end-user engagement.

Current Microsoft Tag customers will be offered the opportunity to migrate their codes, scan history, account information and all other data to the ScanLife platform

Users of the Microsoft Tag mobile app will be offered versions of the Scanbuy Tag mobile app and enhanced integration with the ScanLife app user community of more than 70 million device users.

“With the most popular mobile engagement platform in the industry, Scanbuy is a great choice for Microsoft Tag customers to continue to grow their mobile engagement programs,” said Eric Engstrom, General Manager, Microsoft. “Scanbuy is highly focused in this area with an impressive track record and stellar technology which made them a natural partner for licensing the Microsoft Tag technology.”

Introduced in 2009, Microsoft Tag is used by top brands in publishing, retail, entertainment and more to connect consumers to mobile content such as videos, music, product information, ring tones, free text and other promotions by scanning the Microsoft Tag symbol or QR Code with their smartphones. The Microsoft Tag app has been downloaded by millions of smartphone users around the world with billions of Tags and QR Codes published in magazines, on packaging and in-store merchandising, promotional materials, event signage and more, and it continues to grow in usage.

“We are humbled and honored to be entrusted by Microsoft to carry forward the Microsoft Tag technology for the leading brands that use Microsoft Tag as well as the millions of the app’s users, allowing them to build upon the tremendous success of the platform,” said Mike Wehrs, CEO and president of Scanbuy. “Microsoft’s decision to allow Scanbuy to incorporate the Microsoft Tag technology into the ScanLife service is a testament to the power of our technology, service offering, patent portfolio and the Scanbuy team.”

“The mobile engagement space continues to grow rapidly with millions of additional new transactions worldwide,” Wehrs said. “With this ability to allow our ScanLife customers to create and scan tags using the Microsoft Tag technology, Scanbuy will process data from an additional two million scans per month to help customers understand consumer interests and product intent.”